Why are our fans the way they are?

[tomtom]

We've had some fantastic players recently like Kasper, Maddison, Youri, Mahrez, Barnes...  to name a few 

 

All of these at some point have been slated by a certain section of our fans.

 

That's often had me asking "why are our fans the way they are" 

 

*slight change of angle- granted* 

[Nolucklcfc]

9 minutes ago, tomtom said:

We've had some fantastic players recently like Kasper, Maddison, Youri, Mahrez, Barnes...  to name a few 

 

All of these at some point have been slated by a certain section of our fans.

 

That's often had me asking "why are our fans the way they are" 

 

*slight change of angle- granted* 

Dewsbury hall would have been next if he had stayed 

[Guy]

On 12/03/2025 at 13:32, bovril said:

I think English football fans are often more interested in aesthetics - "limbs", cans on the train etc - than the actual fan culture. Also not to be too puritan but how much of a role does alcohol play? I feel like every game I go to there are more and more totally shitfaced fans that often can't string a single sentence together without problems. Like I like a few beers before the game but that amount of drinking isn't conducive to a great atmosphere and is obviously not something you see in that many other countries. 

I only tend to drink after the game - as if you're half cut you simply can't focus properly on what you went there for in the first place - to see a game of football!

[los dedos]

15 minutes ago, BKLFox said:

only this forum can blame the 50+yr olds for a lack of atmosphere & their more conservative views against rebelling yet then show a newspaper clip showing hundreds of leicester city supporters demonstrating against the club then say why is our fanbase not more like this, the year was 1996 it was these 50+yr olds you are complaining about, maybe instead of complaining about those that have redirect their frustrations at those <50 that have not.

I doubt the 50+ year olds people are complaining about are the same ones at these protests.  These would've the Kop lads that hardly go now due to various reasons. Whereas they'd get booed by Members stand and South stand upper tier goers . For daring to protest . 

[bovril]

Just now, Guy said:

I only tend to drink after the game - as if you're half cut you simply can't focus properly on what you went there for in the first place - to see a game of football!

I like a few pints before but if you can barely stand I don't think you're going to be able to really contribute that much to the atmosphere. 

[Guy]

Just now, bovril said:

I like a few pints before but if you can barely stand I don't think you're going to be able to really contribute that much to the atmosphere. 

Aah, definitely! Trouble is you're always back and forward to the bogs too if you drink (esp. excessively!) before the match. 

[CosbehFox]

21 minutes ago, BKLFox said:

only this forum can blame the 50+yr olds for a lack of atmosphere & their more conservative views against rebelling yet then show a newspaper clip showing hundreds of leicester city supporters demonstrating against the club then say why is our fanbase not more like this, the year was 1996 it was these 50+yr olds you are complaining about, maybe instead of complaining about those that have redirect their frustrations at those <50 that have not.

I think that's exactly the point. Back in 1996, you'd have a natural cyclic nature to the supporter base - there was a young core who were vocal. Now they aren't and the younger generation can't get a ticket mostly 

[Parker Pen]

11 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

I think that's exactly the point. Back in 1996, you'd have a natural cyclic nature to the supporter base - there was a young core who were vocal. Now they aren't and the younger generation can't get a ticket mostly 

I agree fans used to be able to congregate where the noise was especially before seats went in. I remember the chants from the Spion Kop going round the ground, 'East Stand, East stand give us a song!' Unfortunately modern football crowds are now all like the old Main Stand at Filbert Street, everyone is just part of the revenue stream and like CosbehFox said there's no cyclic nature to the supporter base and you can't just think lets go down to the King Power with your mates and sit together.  What chance do you have if you fancy watching a match on an ad hoc basis at home, let alone an away game.  In the early 90s you could go to Charlton away, Portsmouth  or Luton away if you felt like it and pay on the gate. 

 

I think that the Premier League regulations, pricing, over zealous security and stewarding result in stifled atmospheres throughout the country that only come to life when a team are winning or on a winning run. A good number of our fans reflect this and feel that they have to attend as they have a season ticket and becomes habit forming.  In the 80s and 90s those individuals would not have attended every match and the seats would have been empty or stands less crowded.

[OnlyOneCity]

43 minutes ago, los dedos said:

I doubt the 50+ year olds people are complaining about are the same ones at these protests.  These would've the Kop lads that hardly go now due to various reasons. Whereas they'd get booed by Members stand and South stand upper tier goers . For daring to protest . 

Why wouldn’t they be? They would have been in their late teens early 20s, standing in the seating area on the  Kop. I doubt they would have been sitting in the Main Stand where many of the oldies of that period sat. All seater stadiums, although a good idea for the shorter built fans means that there’s a lack of fans all standing closely together and thishas contributed to the poor atmospheres in all grounds.

[HighPeakFox]

I disagree with many about a lot regarding football on here. 

 

However, the problem of the pricing and the demographic that can afford it, conveniently stopping younger fans buying in, is very important and one of many things the club hierarchy is getting totally wrong. 

[SemperEadem]

14 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

I disagree with many about a lot regarding football on here. 

 

However, the problem of the pricing and the demographic that can afford it, conveniently stopping younger fans buying in, is very important and one of many things the club hierarchy is getting totally wrong. 

How the 15-20 bracket afford it without parental help il never know.

[Guy]

7 hours ago, SemperEadem said:

How the 15-20 bracket afford it without parental help il never know.

Yes, unless they "sneak in" like you could on occasion at Filbert Street back in the day then they must surely have rich parents to enable their going to games!

[FoxesFan#1]

On 13/03/2025 at 17:23, Parker Pen said:

I agree fans used to be able to congregate where the noise was especially before seats went in. I remember the chants from the Spion Kop going round the ground, 'East Stand, East stand give us a song!' Unfortunately modern football crowds are now all like the old Main Stand at Filbert Street, everyone is just part of the revenue stream and like CosbehFox said there's no cyclic nature to the supporter base and you can't just think lets go down to the King Power with your mates and sit together.  What chance do you have if you fancy watching a match on an ad hoc basis at home, let alone an away game.  In the early 90s you could go to Charlton away, Portsmouth  or Luton away if you felt like it and pay on the gate. 

 

I think that the Premier League regulations, pricing, over zealous security and stewarding result in stifled atmospheres throughout the country that only come to life when a team are winning or on a winning run. A good number of our fans reflect this and feel that they have to attend as they have a season ticket and becomes habit forming.  In the 80s and 90s those individuals would not have attended every match and the seats would have been empty or stands less crowded.

This is such a good post, sums it up so very well

 

To add to it, the new generations are much less interested in football now and the old way of being has been severed so badly that it’s less likely we’d see what we experienced in the 90s again.

 

If you want to see a dying sport head to the Speedway (which I still love), the average age is care home numbers now!  

 

I’m not joking!  

I’m sure football won’t ever get into this mess but it is experiencing an aging following so you never know if the golden age has already passed.